Surgical glove



NOV. 12, 1963 c, A HUE 3,110,035

SURGICAL GLOVE Filed Nov. 17, 1959 Herbert C. LaHue 1N VEN TOR.

26 BY and we Mu United States Patent 3,110,035 SURGECAL GLGVE Herbert C. Lallue, Kansas City, Mo. (8415 High Drive, Leawoozl, Karts), assignor of fifty percent to Robert C. LaHue, Prairie Village, Kans.

Filed Nov. 17, 1959, Ser. No. 853,490 2 Claims. (Cl. 2-168) The present invention relates to a surgical glove having, as is usually the case, customary stalls for the thumb and fingers, a wrist-embracing portion, and that part between for covering the palmate and back portions of the hand but which is unique in that the total exterior surfaces of [the glove at the time the same is used may be said to be clinically clean and reliable for sanitary usage.

Stated otherwise, the present concept pertains to a surgeons or surgical glove which insofar as the appearance is concerned and also the used materials even the experienced eye would perceive nothing unusual. However, critical analysis and examination would show the essence of the invention; namely, that instead of being of a single ply (lamination or thickness) this improved glove is composed of at least two, perhaps more, layers or laminations. The layers are identical in construction with the result that the product actually constitutes inner and outer gloves or, otherwise construed, an outer protective and sanitizing covering for an inner ready-to-use glove. As a matter of fact, one might even visualize the construction as an outer glove with an inner lining. In either event the outer one is separably joined to the inner one by an accessible and openable seam. This seam, the only one present, exists preferably at the marginal edge of the wrist portion whereby the outer glove may be detached and then peeled oflf to expose the inner one.

It follows that protection is provided for the patient and also for the physician or surgeon inasmuch as after the outer thin skinlike glove is peeled off the exterior of the remaining inner glove is sterile free of powder, antiseptic or other foreign materials.

It is anticipated that this double-walled or multi-layered glove will offer users a number of advantages. That is to say, the physician may resort to a quick change of gloves if the surfaces of the same become contaminated. He will have at his disposal a glove surface free of antiseptic media, chemicals or powders, antigens and so on. This improved glove may be thinner but stronger thus increasing the tensile and tactile (sense of feel) properties. Gloves used on the external portion of surgery may be quickly removed leaving a new sterile inner glove for deeper surgery. Contamination from one area to another area is reduced to a minimum where operational procedures involve abscesses, bile and other difficult-to-copewith and perhaps injurious tissues and the like. As a matter of fact, it is believed that in circulatory surgery there will be no foreign material to enter the bloodstream. Not only this, the possibility of metastasis of cancer by contamination from affected parts to non-affected parts by a surgeons glove will certainly be minimized and perhaps wholly averted.

These together with other objects and advantages which Will become subsequently apparent reside in the details of construction and operation as more fully hereinafter described and claimed, reference being bad to the accompanying drawings forming a part hereof, wherein like numerals refer to like parts throughout, and in which:

FIG. 1 is a view in perspective of a surgical glove constructed in accordance with the principles of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a view on an enlarged scale which may be regarded as a central longitudinal sectional view based on FIG. 1; and

Patented Nov. 12, 1963 FIG. 3 is a view in perspective looking at the palmar side or surface of the glove and showing the wrist portion of the outer glove in the process of being peeled and rolled back for removal whereby to expose the usable inner glove.

Broadly, novelty may be said to reside in a surgeons glove having the usual structural characteristics such as the wrist and finger stalls and the body part therebetween and made of suitable surgical rubber. The distinction over the ordinary glove is that the instant one is doublewalled. It follows that the outer wall may be peeled off of the inner wall to thus bring into use a ready-to-use sterile surgical glove.

More specifically, the outer glove in FIG. 2 is denoted by the numeral 6 and the inner glove by the numeral 8. Another way of defining this construction would be an outer ply, layer or lamination of rubber fashioned into a surgical glove and an inner ply, lamination or thickness fashioned into an inner glove with one within the other and both conforming in shape and size and being separably joined. In the finished product one visualizes the overall multiple walled glove as having a thumb stall lil, finger stalls 1 1, a Wrist embracing and retaining portion 12 and a body part therebetween having a back hand covering 14 and a palrnar or palmate portion 16. Manifestly, the gloves are fitted together with such finesse that to the eye one would observe no structural change in the finished glove construction. More specifically, however, the finger and thumb stalls 18 fit within the finger and thumb stalls 10 and 11 already referred to. The back-ofathe-hand portion 2t} of the inner glove mates with the portion 14 already described. Likewise the palrnate portion 22 mates with the already-described portion 16. It will be noticed that an edge 24- of the wrist portion 12 is matched and united with the wrist portion 26. The junctional seam or bead 28 is severable so that by breaking and opening the seam the outer glove can be peeled off to expose the inner sterile one.

The foregoing is considered as illustrative only of the principles of the invention. Further, since numerous modifications and changes will readily occur to those skilled in the art, it is not desired to limit the invention to the exact construction and operation shown and described, and accordingly all suitable modifications and equivalents may be resorted to, falling within the scope of the invention as claimed.

What is claimed as new is as follows:

1. A surgical glove comprising outer and inner glove members each comprising a complete covering for a surgeons hand and including stalls for the thumb and fingers together with an open wrist embracing portion and palm and back body portions between said wrist portion and said stalls, said members being substantially coextensive and complementary for interfitting engagement with each other, each member being comprised of a single continuous piece of rubber, said inner member being adapted to closely embrace and enclose a surgeons hand to constitute a surgeons glove therefor, said outer member completely enclosing said inner member in complete and continuous surface-to-surface contact therewith and forming with said inner member a two-layer surgeons glove and providing a sanitary sealed covering for said inner member, said members being fixedly and securely retained in their interfitted relation solely by a releasable fastening means engaging and joining the entire peripheries of said wrist portions of said members and sealingly enclosing the space between said members, said fastening means being releasable to enable said outer member to be peeled from the inner member from the wrist portion outwardly to the finger stall tips thereof without disturbing the enveloping engagement of the 3 4i inner member upon a surgeons hand and thereby ex- 1,280,421 Diem Oct. 1, 1918 pose the outer surface of the inner member. 1,294,105 Holden Feb. 11, 1919 2. The combination of claim 1 wherein said releas- 1,478,582 Schallman D -12,1923 able fastening means includes a severable bead. 2,075,550 Smith 1937 5 2,635,240 Tausch Apr. 21, 1953 References Cited in the file Of this patent OTHER REFERENCES UNITED STATES PATENTS Abercrornbie and Fitch: Christmas Trail Catalog for 919,406 Warren Apr. 27, 1909 1954, P 

1. A SURGICAL GLOVE COMPRISING OUTER AND INNER GLOVE MEMBERS EACH COMPRISING A COMPLETE COVERING FOR A SURGEON''S HAND AND INCLUDING STALLS FOR THE THUMB AND FINGERS TOGETHER WITH AN OPEN WRIST EMBRACING PORTION AND PALM AND BACK BODY PORTIONS BETWEEN SAID WRIST PORTION AND SAID STALLS, SAID MEMBERS BEING SUBSTANTIALLY COEXTENSIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY FOR INTERFITTING ENGAGEMENT WITH EACH OTHER, EACH MEMBER BEING COMPRISED OF A SINGLE CONTINUOUS PIECE OF RUBBER, SAID INNER MEMBER BEING ADAPTED TO CLOSELY EMBRACE AND ENCLOSE A SURGEON''S HAND TO CONSTITUTE A SURGEON''S GLOVE THEREFOR, SAID OUTER MEMBER COMPLETELY ENCLOSING SAID INNER MEMBER IN COMPLETE AND CONTINUOUS SURFACE-TO-SURFACE CONTACT THEREWITH AND FORMING WITH SAID INNER MEMBER A TWO-LAYER SURGEON''S GLOVE AND PROVIDING A SANITARY SEALED COVERING FOR SAID INNER MEMBER, SAID MEMBERS BEING FIXEDLY AND SECURELY RETAINED IN THEIR INTERFITTED RELATION SOLELY BY A RELEASABLE FASTENING MEANS ENGAGING AND JOINING THE ENTIRE PERIPHERIES OF SAID WRIST PORTIONS OF SAID MEMBERS AND SEALINGLY ENCLOSING THE SPACE BETWEEN SAID MEMBERS, SAID FASTENING MEANS BEING RELEASABLE TO ENABLE SAID OUTER MEMBER TO BE PEELED FROM THE INNER MEMBER FROM THE WRIST PORTION OUTWARDLY TO THE FINGER STALL TIPS THEREOF WITHOUT DISTURBING THE ENVELOPING ENGAGEMENT OF THE INNER MEMBER UPON A SURGEON''S HAND AND THEREBY EXPOSE THE OUTER SURFACE OF THE INNER MEMBER. 